Physical training and motorcycle maintenance for long distance

Baxter

Well-Known Member
#21
Update:

I'm feeling healthy enough to take a certified ride again after a summer of bicycling. I've been cycling for an hour almost every day since May, and have added some strength training. The result has been that my blood pressure meds have been cut to one quarter of the previous dosage, and next month I will try going cold turkey. Weight, resting pulse, etc., have also been moving in the fit direction.

But the important thing for motorcycling is that I feel more alert, and I stay that way throughout the day. I had been seriously concerned about getting too tired to ride safely over the course of a full IBA day's riding.

But they never warned me about the psychological side effects from all this activity. I find myself wandering the house looking for something useful to do. I've painted three rooms in the past month! Professionals have explained that this is called "boredom," and it's a common side effect caused by fitness. Fortunately it's still motorcycle season. But I might get in trouble with my wife if this continues into winter. :p
 

JAORE

Premier Member
#23
"Eating on the bike is no big deal. But, a modular or 3/4 helmet with a drop down internal sun visor makes it a lot easier/safer."

Except for those of us with loooooong oval heads. In my case think the creature in the movie Alien. Ain't no such critter/helmet. I've tried. I buyed. I kweet.

I'm now 68 years old. My spirit animal is a sloth.

Like the guy above, cutting back to a couple of cups of coffee IS caffine deprivation. I do that before an IBA ride. I also seek better sleep for a few days before the ride. I still can not sleep a full night before a ride, so I tend to grab a couple of hours and leave at zero dark thirty.

Jerky and almonds are my snack of choice. I hydrate before and during.

And,yes, both my doctor and my wife would appreciate it if I worked out a bit.
 

tdragger

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#24
Except for those of us with loooooong oval heads. In my case think the creature in the movie Alien. Ain't no such critter/helmet. I've tried. I buyed. I kweet.
I hear ya. If you get an opportunity, try the Bell SRT Modular. My forehead is smashed in a Shoei Neotech but the Bell is wonderful.

Back to the topic: When I was just getting serious about LD riding and rallying, I met Eric Bray and he took one look at me and said that I needed to work on my conditioning. That was the best advice that I absolutely ignored.

Going into the last IBR at 335 lbs, some of the bonuses were torture for a fat boy. I now understand what Eric said and have made the commitment to be in better condition for the next one. I'm down 80 lbs through better eating, building stamina through walking and spinning and exercising my mind through routing exercises and fine tuning my "system". I still have to work on the caffeine intake.

Maintenance wise, my Trophy is good for 10k mile oil change intervals, more than enough for an IBR allowing for a small overage. Front tires are an issue. 12k is about the limit on the PR4GT. I'm about to go to the Road 5 GT and see how it does. Rear is darkside so it is not a concern.
 
#25
That was a very good interview. Thanks!

My biggest issue has been consistency in exercise/activity. I'd been good at my daily plan - some yoga, some kettlebells, 1-1.5 mile walk - but something would interrupt the regularity, and I have a hard time getting back on track. I think part of that is not having a reason to keep up. I started in preparation for my SS1000, and it helped a lot. Maybe committing to doing LD rides regularly would do it.

Watching my food quantity and quality had brought my weight down from 265# to 240# or better in about three months, and I've been able to maintain that. That's been good, other than having a mis-fitting wardrobe now.
 

Baxter

Well-Known Member
#26
A story, once started, should be finished. I went cold turkey on my blood pressure meds last week, and just came home from having it checked. I'm on the high range of normal, and can continue not taking any meds.

I have to keep up the effort, both to further improve and to keep off the meds. Also, 15 lbs. weight lost, better stamina, better sleeping, overall better health and longevity.

Now I'm fit enough for another Iron Butt ride.
But it was the Pedal Ninja that brought me here.

Here's a pic of the Pedal Ninja on her Field of Victory. She's a Bridgestone XO-3. Yes, that Bridgestone. I bought her almost 30 years ago at Grand Performance in St. Paul, MN. The only mods have been an anatomically correct seat, new tires and tubes, new rear brake pads, and a carry pouch. She gets the job done! We ride the Interurban/Oak Leaf trails in Milwaukee and its northern suburbs. Pedal Ninja.jpg
 

Ahamay

The Joker
IBA Member
#27
Just read this with interest as i live 20 miles south east of London by the river Thames i have a route on the river bank away from road traffic on a pedal bike approx i hour a day it definitely helps.
I did a UK four corners last year starting in Lowestoft ending at John o Groats 1400 miles within 36 hours including 5 hours sleep in a hotel around two thirds of the way compared to the mileage you do across the pond it's a modest distance but hard work on our little over crowded island with the traffic, road works, and idiot cage drivers.
I find the best way is to get a good nights sleep bed at 10 pm that means i am awake around 4 am up quick wash and shave drink plenty of water and go with the GS i get around 300 miles a tank try to get as close as to that as i can by that time i have some mileage in before the thundering herd is out of bed fuel water snack bar i have something more substantial on the second fuel stop hot drink bacon roll.
I have found the further you get into the ride the harder it is to maintain your mileage discipline between fill ups so i dig in and get bloody minded.
The older i get the more i enjoy this long distance stuff.
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#29
@Baxter - Take the Pedal Ninja out for a Century ride. I did a bunch of those in my teens along with a lot of road riding, then returned to cycling in my '40s, doing MTB trail riding and commuting 150 miles a week, rain or shine in Oregon. Bicycles are great for cardio. I've lost 20 lbs over the last three months or so, walking 3 miles every morning and cutting back on snacks, watching my intake more. That pretty much means I'm back to where I was before CV-19 lockdown, which isn't a bad thing, but I need to push past the current plateau and lose another 20 lbs, then repeat a couple more times.

I used to joke that I could hop on just about any motorcycle and knock out a SS1K. I've done them on ill fitting seats and comfy RDLs custom fit to me. About a week ago, I more or less proved my point, riding a SS1K on my 150cc scooter. So, yes, I can knock out a 22 hour SS1K on just about anything that can go over 50 mph. :D The best conditioning for LD riding is LD riding. Being fitter and healthier means you're not as fatigued, but LD riding is as much a mental game as it is a physical activity.

Exercise wise, getting the heart pumping and keeping at that for at least 20 minutes every day has a very positive impact. It takes about a month to wake up your metabolism if you have been sedentary for an extended time. Keep up the daily activity and it will start to show some results after the first month or so. Move in stages, try not to bite off more than you can chew right off the start. Walk a block if that's what wears you out. After walking a block for a week, you should be able to walk two, keep increasing the distance until you're walking for 40 minutes to an hour. When that becomes comfortable, toss in something else. Some squats or push ups at different points along your walk or at home with some trigger.

I know a fellow that does 20 push ups every day when the mail carrier comes. Every day when he goes out to get the paper, he walks around the block before coming in with the paper. He does sit ups before lunch every day. It's the little things plus consistency that help keep us moving in the right direction.
 

Baxter

Well-Known Member
#30
It's been far too long! I'm submitting my documentation for a Lake Michigan 1000. While I wasn't the most efficient rider, I also felt that this was my easiest Iron Butt ride due to the fitness changes I started making last year, as indicated above. Normally I'm shattered after an IBA ride. But I felt that I could have kept going for a good bit longer, both physically and mentally. And the next day was also good.
 
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CB650F

Premier Member
#31
Congratulations! Don't worry about not being the most efficient. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Your exact time doesn't matter. 30 seconds ahead of the timer is the same as 3 hours ahead of the timer. It's a pass/fail, not a percentage score.

You realized that you needed to get in better shape to accomplish one of your goals, and you did what it took to make it happen! That's awesome. Good job.
 

Baxter

Well-Known Member
#32
Thanks!

The weather was good, I was feeling good, and I had no reason to push. So it was a relaxing 1000 miles! But I need to be a lot better at planning fewer stops and keeping the time for each stop to a minimum if I want to try for a BB1500 Gold.
 

Kylearane

Premier Member
#33
4. Train for life, not just for a specific thing. I'm able and ready for daily living and everything that comes with it. Including IBA rides.
Update: On July 10th I had an accident. We’re still waiting for the dash cam footage from the state trooper that was in the intersection to see if I royally screwed up or if the auto jumped out in front of me and stopped. I almost got around it but I clipped the rear of the car with my left engine guards. I held it up through the intersection but dumped once I got to the grass. The guards on my left side bent, the left floorboard and the heel/toe shift lever were torn off. My foot was caught in that mess, breaking my 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th toes, along with a minor fracture near the ankle. My right hand was burned by the exhaust as I slid for a few seconds with the bike pushing me. I was in the hospital for a five days with an open wound, then they put pins in three of my toes. My granddaughter was with me but she was thrown clear and didn’t tangle with the bike. She has a broken left ankle but she was released that day.

Anyway, my recovery hasn’t been as difficult as it could have been since I’m in shape. My right leg is strong and my upper body strength allowed me to get moving quickly on crutches. I’m returning to work on Monday, and in another week the stitches and pins should be removed. I didn’t expect a crash to be something I would experience, but being fit is definitely making it easier to recover.

Also, we were wearing full gear, so we didn’t suffer any other injuries. No head or spine trauma.
 

IBA ZX-9R

Well-Known Member
#34
2022 was to be attempt #2 at mentoring one of the two riders I was grooming from 2020. We all agreed the one who lost their cool is just not physically and mentally cut out for what a SS1000 demands. We had a third rider too who was going to attempt his own SS1000 on his own, but I think he's given up on that idea.

Scheduled for the first Saturday in June, again, I began hinting to my buddy that I was starting my training (explained above) and that he should too. But once again, I could sense there wasn't any urgency or true intrinsic SS1000 lust coming from him. The closer we got to our June ride date, it once again was turning into a cavalier idea he had in his head that he would once again go into cold-turkey and resist me every step along the way. Or I could see him backing out the week before, promising he'd work harder at it next year...for sure!

Sensing this, a week later I explained to him about adjusting sleep schedules the week before our ride and the logistics of departing at 1:30 AM in the morning and riding through until ~9:30 PM with minimal breaks. It's gas-n-go, a few photo-ops and food breaks too. So that means we have to depart our ride witness #1's home by 1:20 AM, which means leaving our houses by 12:55 AM, gearing up, eating breakfast and getting out of bed around Midnight.

I thought this year would be different for him, but it just goes to show that there are those who will do the planning, will take it seriously, lust for the goal, ride their hearts out, but get unlucky and fail. They will have failed gallantly, often times due to some external factor, not of their own weakness or ill planning. And then there are those who do not appreciate the gravity of sacrifice for what it takes to luck out and good fortune not have enough events go foul after being awake for 21+ hours. It's not a cavalier undertaking!

Today, through a circumstantial trackday accident, he will miss this year's ride. It took a comment from one of my other riding buddies to acknowledge the relief I felt from hearing the news. They said it best, 'he would have prevented you from finishing.'

I think we want to mentor and have others join our IBA quest rides, but not at the expense of turning it into a 23+ hour death ride or being the bad-guy cracking the whip on the other poorly prepared riders to keep moving. You're either after it and one of the few who makes it onto the IBA member's list or tries, but fails gallantly or you're with everyone else, pooled with IBA member wannabees or nevertobees.
 

Dave28117

Premier Member
#35
2022 was to be attempt #2 at mentoring one of the two riders I was grooming from 2020. We all agreed the one who lost their cool is just not physically and mentally cut out for what a SS1000 demands. We had a third rider too who was going to attempt his own SS1000 on his own, but I think he's given up on that idea.

Scheduled for the first Saturday in June, again, I began hinting to my buddy that I was starting my training (explained above) and that he should too. But once again, I could sense there wasn't any urgency or true intrinsic SS1000 lust coming from him. The closer we got to our June ride date, it once again was turning into a cavalier idea he had in his head that he would once again go into cold-turkey and resist me every step along the way. Or I could see him backing out the week before, promising he'd work harder at it next year...for sure!

Sensing this, a week later I explained to him about adjusting sleep schedules the week before our ride and the logistics of departing at 1:30 AM in the morning and riding through until ~9:30 PM with minimal breaks. It's gas-n-go, a few photo-ops and food breaks too. So that means we have to depart our ride witness #1's home by 1:20 AM, which means leaving our houses by 12:55 AM, gearing up, eating breakfast and getting out of bed around Midnight.

I thought this year would be different for him, but it just goes to show that there are those who will do the planning, will take it seriously, lust for the goal, ride their hearts out, but get unlucky and fail. They will have failed gallantly, often times due to some external factor, not of their own weakness or ill planning. And then there are those who do not appreciate the gravity of sacrifice for what it takes to luck out and good fortune not have enough events go foul after being awake for 21+ hours. It's not a cavalier undertaking!

Today, through a circumstantial trackday accident, he will miss this year's ride. It took a comment from one of my other riding buddies to acknowledge the relief I felt from hearing the news. They said it best, 'he would have prevented you from finishing.'

I think we want to mentor and have others join our IBA quest rides, but not at the expense of turning it into a 23+ hour death ride or being the bad-guy cracking the whip on the other poorly prepared riders to keep moving. You're either after it and one of the few who makes it onto the IBA member's list or tries, but fails gallantly or you're with everyone else, pooled with IBA member wannabees or nevertobees.
I read your original post as well as this one. a few things come to mind. it sounds like you're a very intense rider. is it possible you scared them off? I'm curious the route you chose. in your first post, it sounds like you had a lot of twisty/curvy riding built in. many of us don't take those kind of challenges with LD riding. yes, some do. I don't want to over generalize. only that I wonder if your version of rides is just too intense for them to accomplish their first time out.

Why did you plan a departure time of 1:20 AM? I'm an odd-ball when it comes to these types of things. for me, I plan to get a very good night's sleep prior to departure. Taking that approach gives me the best opportunity for completion. I have a friend that leads groups on SS1K rides. some of them are first timers. he plans 4 AM departures but has stops every 120 miles to take breaks. He usually has the group finishing in about 20 hours which is ahead of pace for a first timer. I've ridden a few of his. It's quite casual and easy for newbs.

As to exercise, the only thing I do is walking at lunch time at least 4 days a week. I have found that sufficient for both SS1Ks and BBGs. I'm planning the same approach for my 50CC I plan to do this year.

sorry if I sound too terse here. not intending to. just asking questions to understand a bit more about your approach to your rides. Again, I know we're all different and have developed approaches that work for our specific needs.
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#36
@Dave28117 - Sport bike riders. That context changes the dynamic of an SS1K. When you rarely ride 100 miles w/o stopping and your fuel range is under 200 miles it's a different reality. The ergos are not conducive to 20 hour rides either. I'm not dismissing the capability of the bikes or their riders, just saying it's a different problem to solve for an IBA ride.

Riding a sport bike for me means waiting... Waiting until I can get out of 2nd gear. Waiting until there is a fun bit of road to enjoy what the bike can really do. Waiting until I can find a spot to stop, unfold and stretch. Waiting unti... oh shit, I need gas again! ;)
 

Dave28117

Premier Member
#37
@Dave28117 - Sport bike riders. That context changes the dynamic of an SS1K. When you rarely ride 100 miles w/o stopping and your fuel range is under 200 miles it's a different reality. The ergos are not conducive to 20 hour rides either. I'm not dismissing the capability of the bikes or their riders, just saying it's a different problem to solve for an IBA ride.

Riding a sport bike for me means waiting... Waiting until I can get out of 2nd gear. Waiting until there is a fun bit of road to enjoy what the bike can really do. Waiting until I can find a spot to stop, unfold and stretch. Waiting unti... oh shit, I need gas again! ;)
I get it. I've done my share of sport riding. I wouldn't do a SS1k on one, but hey....that's just me. :)

The only time I ever found the ergos of a sport bike to work was when I was on the track with them. never really could travel with them. That's why I moved to sport touring. Now I'm beyond that and just an old-fart tourer on a goldwing. :D
 

Firstpeke

Well-Known Member
#38
The only time I could have done IBA rides on a sports bike was at least 35 years ago........ for two reasons.....

1. I owned one, a Honda CBR 600 (1987, I think one of the first ones sold in the UK, I bought the demonstrator!)
2. I could still walk when I got off it.....

I did a few long rides on it, south coast of England to the Moray coast and back over a weekend was one.... it rained a lot, about 700 miles each way.
 

cacomly

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#39
2022 was to be attempt #2 at mentoring one of the two riders I was grooming from 2020. We all agreed the one who lost their cool is just not physically and mentally cut out for what a SS1000 demands. We had a third rider too who was going to attempt his own SS1000 on his own, but I think he's given up on that idea.

Scheduled for the first Saturday in June, again, I began hinting to my buddy that I was starting my training (explained above) and that he should too. But once again, I could sense there wasn't any urgency or true intrinsic SS1000 lust coming from him. The closer we got to our June ride date, it once again was turning into a cavalier idea he had in his head that he would once again go into cold-turkey and resist me every step along the way. Or I could see him backing out the week before, promising he'd work harder at it next year...for sure!

Sensing this, a week later I explained to him about adjusting sleep schedules the week before our ride and the logistics of departing at 1:30 AM in the morning and riding through until ~9:30 PM with minimal breaks. It's gas-n-go, a few photo-ops and food breaks too. So that means we have to depart our ride witness #1's home by 1:20 AM, which means leaving our houses by 12:55 AM, gearing up, eating breakfast and getting out of bed around Midnight.

I thought this year would be different for him, but it just goes to show that there are those who will do the planning, will take it seriously, lust for the goal, ride their hearts out, but get unlucky and fail. They will have failed gallantly, often times due to some external factor, not of their own weakness or ill planning. And then there are those who do not appreciate the gravity of sacrifice for what it takes to luck out and good fortune not have enough events go foul after being awake for 21+ hours. It's not a cavalier undertaking!

Today, through a circumstantial trackday accident, he will miss this year's ride. It took a comment from one of my other riding buddies to acknowledge the relief I felt from hearing the news. They said it best, 'he would have prevented you from finishing.'

I think we want to mentor and have others join our IBA quest rides, but not at the expense of turning it into a 23+ hour death ride or being the bad-guy cracking the whip on the other poorly prepared riders to keep moving. You're either after it and one of the few who makes it onto the IBA member's list or tries, but fails gallantly or you're with everyone else, pooled with IBA member wannabees or nevertobees.
Just a couple of comments. Perhaps I am misinterpreting your email or you haven't provided all of the details, but what you wrote seems to me that you are dictating to your friends that the only way they will complete a SS1K is if they follow your plan exactly. In my opinion that is not the case, there are as many ways as there are people to complete a cert ride. If I were talking with a few friends about doing a SS1K and someone told me I need to change my sleep habits, start exercising, and stop drinking caffeine I'd have two words for that person. That does not mean I am not serious about the ride, it is because I don't like being told what I HAVE to do.

Each of us plan differently, that doesn't mean that we take IBA rides more seriously or less seriously. Also, our bodies are different and we have different needs. As an example, I will start nodding off at 10-10:30 am. It doesn't matter what I have eaten or how much sleep I have had. I adjust my riding accordingly. It comes with knowing my limits. Am I the best rider of this forum? Not hardly! But I think I know enough about LD riding to know what I am talking about even though I ride an inappropriate bike for this style of riding.

I suggest the following. Rather than dictate to your friend's what they need to do and what time you plan to leave, have a discussion with them. Figure out how many fuel stops are required and how much time that will take to come up with the amount of time needed to ride and then figure out the average speed that needs to be maintained while riding. Discuss the pros and cons of departure times and why you want to leave at 1:30 am. The group will either agree on a plan or they won't, but it would be much better to be all in agreement beforehand and people respond better when they have had a hand in making the decision.

And lets face it, there are quite a few riders who just don't want to do an IBA ride. There is nothing wrong with that.

One last point, after doing the rides I have done there are precious few who I would do a cert ride with. And those that I would I make it clear that I will take up the rear and may drop off at any point if I need a break. My reason is I don't want my body schedule to impact their ride.

Lastly, please don't take this post the wrong way. I'm just suggesting that you stop and think about how you approach your friends about doing a SS1K. Unfortunately the Internet does not convey feelings and what is not intended to be harsh can easily be interpreted as being so.
 

IBA ZX-9R

Well-Known Member
#40
Not offended at all. They've enlisted me to help them accomplish their goal. In a way, I'm their conditioning coach.

I never imagined any IBA ride would be anything but intense, but yeah, our ride route up Pacific Coast Highway (CA-1) from Petaluma, CA, to Crescent City, CA, isn’t on many, if any, IBA ride routes for a reason. It is demanding, intense, and over-the-top gorgeous. It is the one THEY chose above all the other proposed routes we’ve discussed. It’s this ride or bust, for them. I’m just their chaperone, pace keeper.

Well, I've found that the easiest and most enjoyable way to accomplish such rides, is through physical conditioning, eating right, and extensive planning...something that when it comes down to it, they will not do.

They’ve also restricted our criteria. No riding pitch black tree-line two-lane mountain highways after dark. Before dawn on multi-lane I-80 over Donner Summit is okay, but we see too many deer and forest animals wandering near the roads at dusk on two-lane highways.

Any freeway IBA is out of the question for us. Bigger bikes make it look easy. But for us, it’s our Achilles heel. It takes a pretty special sportbike rider to ride LD on one without shifting riding positions. And I’d argue, there isn’t a freeway IBA I’d care to do anyway.

It is in this regard that I'm watching them head down the road of turning their IBA quest ride into a disaster death ride of mind over matter. I've never gone cold turkey into one of these rides and I've already witnessed their miserable failure to even accomplish 400 miles, doing it their way.

Our clockwise twisty road route is a shorter version of an annual two-day Oregon or Bust group ride we once loved doing. I often find myself questioning whether to scrub my IBA ride so I could stop and soak it all in. But ironically, it is because I don’t that not only do I go back for multiple overnight coastal trips, but other riders enthusiastically want to join in too.

The 2018 SS1K. The one they have their sights on.

Reno, Petaluma, Bodega Bay, Fort Bragg, Leggett, Orick (redwoods), Crescent City, Fortuna, Mad River, Red Bluff, Chico, Belden, Quincy, Hallelujah Junction ==> Reno or Sierraville, Truckee ==> Reno. (Google Maps)

And what it looks like from my sportbike.
 
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